Patrick Vieira, the manager of Crystal Palace, has stated that the absence of a large number of senior players from the club’s current trip of Singapore and Australia is “not ideal.”
Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, Christian Benteke, and Marc Guehi are among the nine players who have opted not to go with the team.
Palace has stated that several players did not meet admission standards for their respective nations “when travel arrangements were arranged,” and that some of them were not physically able to play.
Vieira stated that he would not share the players’ vaccinal status against the Covid-19 virus.
All travellers visiting Singapore, where Palace faced Liverpool on Friday, are required to have completed their vaccinations before entering the country. A month and a half ago, limitations of a comparable nature were eliminated for Australia.
Before Tuesday’s encounter against Manchester United at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Vieira observed, “It is not the best position for a manager to have so many players behind.” This comment was made before the match.
“It is essential to comprehend that players have chosen to remain on the field for a variety of reasons. We are not going to discuss the personal circumstances of the players, including whether or not they have been vaccinated against the disease. A number of players remained behind because they felt they required additional instruction as well as additional game time.
Zaha, Eze, Benteke, and Guehi, in addition to others including Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp, participated in some capacity in the friendly match between Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town that took place on Saturday at the Palace training ground. The match was supervised by Osian Roberts, who is Vieira’s assistant coach.
Vieira continued by saying, “It is a challenge. It has prevented us from playing games together and from cooperating on a strategic level with one another. It won’t be until after a few contests that the team will begin to find its rhythm.
However, he said that the experience of the tour for the younger players on the team was “unbelievable for them.” He went on to say that some of the younger players had never travelled outside of Europe before. They will now have the opportunity to play United in front of 75,000โ80,000 spectators.
That should be a source of enthusiasm for them. They will be a great source of information for us. We have several veteran players here who are in desperate need of playing time.
After moving to London, the Mali international midfielder Cheick Doucoure, who had been playing for Lens, was signed by Crystal Palace. Cheick Doucoure’s attorney has claimed that his client has been the target of attempted blackmail and extortion.
Vieira responded to the allegations by saying, “I am aware of them. I had a conversation with him as well as the attorney. Both I and the club are completely behind the player in this matter. The lawyer made a really forceful argument in his statement. It is something that neither he nor the player, nor the club for that matter, will allow.
Even though Crystal Palace finished in the middle of the Premier League table for the first time in nine years since their return to the top division in 2013, the first season that Vieira spent as manager at Selhurst Park was generally seen as a success.
This summer, they have added several new players to their roster, including attacker Malcolm Ebiowei from Derby and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from England.
Despite the fact that Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has returned to the club at the completion of his loan, Vieira believes that his team is lacking in a handful of different departments.
“What is crucial is to try and improve from last year in the way that we want to play the game,” he added. “The way we want to play the game is what is vital.”
“One of the ways to accomplish it is to strengthen the team as a whole. The amount of players that we have available is still below what we need. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will be able to make a few signings that will help us become more ambitious.
The 22-year-old Gallagher earned a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England team as a result of his play for Palace in the previous season. However, Vieira has ruled out the possibility of Gallagher returning to the club.
He stated, “At this point, I do not believe there is any hope,” and he meant it. “He currently plays for Chelsea. I don’t believe there is any way to win him back at this point.